Apple FY15 iPhone unit estimate raised to 220M from 210M at BofA/MerrillBofA/Merrill raised Apple's FY15 iPhone unit estimate to 220M from 210M following Asia checks that indicate iPhone supply chain momentum remains strong. The firm lowered its iPad FY15 unit estimates to 55.8M from 60M but said the next catalyst is in October when the larger screen is launched. For the Apple watch, BofA lowered FY15 unit estimates to 9M from 13M given slightly more conservative views and the tough manufacturing process. Shares are Buy rated with a $140 price target.

Pendrell unit: Court rejects attempts to limit scope of DRM patentsContentGuard Holdings, a subsidiary of Pendrell Corporation (PCO), announced that on Friday, March 20, Judge J. Rodney Gilstrap of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a 144 page Claim Construction Order in lawsuits ContentGuard filed against several companies who continue to use its patented Digital Rights Management solutions without a license, including Apple (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN), DirecTV (DTV), Google (GOOG), HTC, Huawei, Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics (SSNLF). In his order, Judge Gilstrap interpreted the language in ContentGuard’s patents in a manner that fully preserves the breadth of ContentGuard’s patented Digital Rights Management technologies. These technologies were developed to enable the distribution of digital media over the Internet and other networks, including cellular and satellite networks, and provide innovative solutions to problems that were once thought to be unsolvable. “We are very pleased with the Court’s ruling,” commented James Baker, ContentGuard’s Vice President for Licensing and Strategic Development. “We believe these claim constructions demonstrate that the online stores defendants provide for buying and renting DRM-protected movies, videos, books, and music and devices that play, run, display or print this DRM-protected content infringe ContentGuard’s pioneering DRM patents.”

Pfizer should rise 'significantly' over next two years, says JefferiesJefferies analyst Jeffrey Holford told investors this morning that he expects shares of Pfizer (PFE) to appreciate "significantly" over the next two years. A survey of U.S. oncologists indicated the company's Ibrance drug will be used in 50% of first line hormonal therapy within one year, with off-label use in all lines of therapy including adjuvant, Holford noted. He thinks peak sales of the drug could top $13B, which is well above consensus. In addition, the analyst views Pfizer's Global Established Pharmaceutical business as being underappreciated by the market. Potential value creating options for the pharmaceutical giant include spinning off its GEP unit by 2017 and accretive acquisitions, with possible takeover targets being Shire (SHPG), Actavis (ACT), AstraZeneca (AZN) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in the eyes of Holford. He added the stock to the firm's Franchise Picks list, which encompasses its best ideas. He also raised his price target for Pfizer to $45 from $42. The stock closed Friday up 10c to $34.25.

Apple working on new version of Apple TV, BuzzFeed reportsApple is working on a new version of its Apple TV streaming set-top box, BuzzFeed reported on Friday. Apple is said to be planning to announce the new Apple TV at its World Wide Developers Conference in June, and will also debut a software development kit allowing app developers to create their own apps for the streaming box. The new version of Apple TV will reportedly be a "significant overhaul of the device," and could introduce its own App Store in addition to adding Siri, Apple's virtual assistant. Reference Link

U.S. Multi-Industry sector downgraded to Neutral at BarclaysBarclays downgraded the U.S. Multi-Industry space to Neutral from Overweight saying rising headwinds could limit share upside to mid-single-digit levels in 2015, with only slight improvement in 2016. The firm believes the credit cycle is peaking and views the U.S. Dollar strength along with lower oil prices as headwinds. Concurrent with sector rating change, Barclays downgraded Dover (DOV), Grainger (GWW), Xylem (XYL) and WESCO (WCC) to Equal Weight from Overweight. It also upgraded Tyco (TYC) to Overweight from Equal Weight and Lennox (LII) to Equal Weight from Underweight, calling both defensive names in the space. The firm is also "comfortable" owning General Electric (GE), Honeywell (HON), Sensata (ST) and HD Supply (HDS) at current levels. It prefers waiting for pullbacks to buy shares of 3M (MMM).

Analyst says Apple deserves higher multiple ahead of TV streaming forayGiven Apple's (AAPL) reported foray into streaming TV, the stock's multiple should be higher, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote in a note to investors today. WHAT'S NEW: Media reports about Apple's new streaming TV service support Morgan Stanley's thesis that the stock should trade at a multiple of 18x-19x, Morgan Stanley analyst Kate Huberty wrote in a note to investors today. Companies with content platforms trade at that level, on average, the analyst noted. Apple's stock is currently trading slightly below 15 times consensus 2015 profit estimates for the company. Noting that Apple has already announced a new online streaming deal with Time Warner's (TWX) HBO, and the New York Post reported that the tech giant is willing to share some viewership data with content owners, Huberty thinks that an Apple TV service seems to be more likely now than in past years. The analyst reiterated her belief, expressed in a previous note, that Apple should be compared to other companies that provide content platforms. Like other platform companies, Apple charges premium prices, its products are used every day by consumers, it has recurring revenue ,and it has the opportunity to expand its total market, the analyst stated. According to Huberty, TV is an $800B market, and the TV streaming market may be ready for prime time, as 20% of pay TV customers plan to cut the cord in the next year, a Morgan Stanley survey showed. The analyst kept a $160 price target and Overweight rating on the shares. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Taking a less favorable view of Apple on March 18 was research firm Jefferies, which predicted that the growth of the company's iPhones would decelerate further next quarter. The firm predicted that strong iPhone sales in China would propel the tech giants profit for the current quarter more than 10% above expectations, but it kept a Hold rating on the shares. PRICE ACTION: In early afternoon trading, Apple was fractionally higher near $128 per share.

On The Fly: Midday WrapStocks began the day sharply higher and have continued to tack on gains throughout the morning. The market’s move put the Nasdaq back above 5,000 and the S&P above 2,100. The market is undergoing quadruple witching, which occurs 4 times per year and typically is accompanied by high volume and volatility. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., the economic calendar was quiet. The Baker Hughes U.S. rig count, which has been closely watched in recent months amid the protracted slide in oil prices, is expected at 1:00 pm EDT. The count of U.S. rigs stood at 1125 at the end of last week. In Europe, reports indicate German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Greece has agreed to send a list of overhauled reforms to European officials within days. COMPANY NEWS: Shares of Nike (NKE) advanced 4% following its Q3 earnings beat. Credit Suisse raised Nike's price target to $106 following the report, saying Nike's underlying futures growth remains in double-digits and preliminary FY16 guidance suggests management has been effective in managing currency headwinds... The shares of Biogen (BIIB) rallied 8% after the company reported results for an early stage study of its Alzheimer's drug, BIIB-037. The company announced that the three milligram, six milligram, and ten milligram dose versions of its Alzheimer's treatment, aducanumab, had reduced the amount of amyloid plaque in the brains of Alzheimer's patients taking the drug by statistically significant amounts compared with those taking placebos. The cognitive decline of patients taking BIIB-037 was also significantly less than that of patients who were taking placebos, the company reported. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the notable gainers was Prothena (PRTA), which surged 30% after announcing results from a Phase 1 single ascending dose study of its potential treatment of Parkinson's disease. Also higher was Darden Restaurants (DRI), which gained 4% after the owner of the Olive Garden and Long Horn restaurant chains reported earnings that beat expectations. Among the noteworthy losers was China's Youku Tudou (YOKU), which dropped 9% and was downgraded to Sell at Deutsche Bank after the company reported mixed Q4 results. Also lower was Theravance (THRX), which fell 7% after the company and partner GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that an FDA advisory committee voted that the efficacy data for their Breo Ellipta inhaler provides substantial evidence of a clinically meaningful benefit in adults, however it voted against approval for the proposed indication in 12-17 year olds. INDEXES: Near midday, the Dow was up 189.04, or 1.05%, to 18,148.07, the Nasdaq was up 40.24, or 0.81%, to 5,032.62, and the S&P 500 was up 19.54, or 0.94%, to 2,108.81.

GlaxoSmithKline, Theravance launch Revlar Ellipta in ItalyIn a regulatory filing, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Theravance (THRX) announced the launch of Revlar Ellipta in Italy following the recent approval by the Italian regulatory authorities in December 2014. Relvar is a fixed dose combination of the inhaled corticosteroid fluticasone furoate and the long-acting beta2-agonist vilanterol. The components will be administered using the Ellipta, a dry powder inhaler. In Italy, the product is indicated for the regular treatment of asthma in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older where use of a combination medicinal product is appropriate; and for the symptomatic treatment of adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with a FEV1<70% predicted normal post-bronchodilator with an exacerbation history despite regular bronchodilator therapy.